Stephen Woodworth's dastardly plan is to free Canadians from fear of discussing abortion

If you’re a big believer in the “Stephen Harper has a hidden agenda” theory, Stephen Woodworth is the man for you.

The professorial-looking Ontario MP is the driving force behind Motion 312, which would require that MPs examine the notion that life does not start at conception. It’s a diabolically clever enterprise by the seemingly mild-mannered lawyer and father of three, who still lives in his home town of Kitchener, because it addresses the heart of the abortion debate without straying into the treacherous issue of women’s right to choose.

It doesn’t even call for much in the way of action. It’s not proposing any legislation. In the usual dry legislative wording, it would merely require that a special House of Commons committee be appointed “to review the declaration in Subsection 223(1) of the Criminal Code of Canada which states that a child becomes a human being only at the moment of complete birth” and to answer several related questions.

The questions are where the danger lies. They are straightforward and easily understood, and speak to an issue that’s an anathema to the abortion rights community.

* “What medical evidence exists to demonstrate that a child is or is not a human being before the moment of complete birth?”

* “Is the preponderance of medical evidence consistent with the declaration in Subsection 223(1) that a child is only a human being at the moment of complete birth?”

* “What are the legal impact and consequences of Subsection 223(1) on the fundamental human rights of a child before the moment of complete birth?”

You can see the trap. If a child isn’t human until it’s born, what is it? The crux of the pro-Choice movement is that abortion is acceptable because you’re not really taking the life of a child, you’re merely “terminating a fetus”. And since the fetus is attached to the mother, it’s just another body part, hers to do with as she wishes. But since Canada has no law on abortion at all, there is no difference recognized between the moment of conception and the moment just before the child is born. Somewhere in that period, presumably, the fetus becomes a baby, since that’s what pops out in the end. But precisely when that transformation takes place and what it means in terms of rights, life and the law is left to float unaddressed, protected by the general terror of politicians to go anywhere near abortion issues. (That includes the Prime Minister, who wants the motion defeated, and no more talk about abortion.)

The impossibility of the situation is self-evident. “One does not magically transform from a non-human entity into a human being when one’s little toe pops out of the birth canal,” says Woodworth. Also obvious is the hidden agenda – which may not be Stephen Harper’s but is certainly Stephen Woodworth’s. Once it’s admitted that somewhere along the line a fertilized egg becomes human, it falls on the proper authorities — medical, political and legal — to establish when that moment is, and what to do about it. Ignoring it is no longer an option, since a human life is now involved. That’s why defenders of the status quo, such as NDP justice critic Francoise Boivin, are dead set against the question even being asked.

“In parliament we have enough to do without just having conversation for the sake of conversation. There’s an objective at the end,” Ms. Boivin said.

Before a child is born, the law in Canada states it is up to the woman to decide what she does with her body, Ms. Boivin said. Everything else is a moot point.

“Once you arrive to that statement you can’t go elsewhere,” Ms. Boivin said.

Mr. Woodworth rejects the idea that even discussing the question should be forbidden, and possibly for the same reason people like Ms. Boivin want it so.

“Perhaps, if Canadians think of a child at 8½ months’ gestation as a human being, they will have second thoughts about abortion,” he says.

Exactly. And that’s his dastardly plan. To remind people that ignoring the issue doesn’t make it go away, and that civilized societies have laws about these things.